Orlando Sentinel restaurant review: New Black Bean Deli in Orlando is a winner

Review

One of my colleagues aptly described the original Black Bean Deli in Winter Park as a small bus-station waiting room with great food.

The new Black Bean Deli east of downtown Orlando is pure urban chic with a hint of Crate & Barrel.

Both restaurants set the bar for top-quality, fast-casual Cuban fare in Central Florida.

But the attention these days is on the new location in a space formerly occupied by Vega's Café, which served Cuban food near the Mills 50 district for more than 30 years.

Architecturally, the only thing left of the small restaurant founded by the late Casimiro Vega is the white skeletal exterior of an old converted gas station. New elements include a landscaped front deck, a seating bar that overlooks the kitchen and two rooms of table seating. The restaurant has a nicely restrained hipness that manages to balance austere and warm elements.

Parking is limited at the new location, something the owners of the Black Bean Deli have had to deal with at Winter Park's Ranch Mall location for years. Just be patient: The jockeying for parking spaces and endless circling on a cramped swath of asphalt are worth it.

We started with the media noche ($5.25), a sandwich pressed on egg-yolk-yellow sweet bread. The fresh bread was fab and the sultry Swiss cheese tempered the sweet and saltiness of the roast pork and sweet ham quite nicely.

Our pan con lechon ($5.25), a sandwich pressed on Cuban bread, featured tendrils of slow-cooked pulled pork that had been drizzled with a garlic mojo.

For the uninitiated, mojo (mo-HO) refers to a myriad of citrus-based sauces found throughout South America and the Caribbean. Mojos are used for marinades, dipping sauces, basting liquids and salad dressing. Black Bean Deli's mojo has a lime kick and just enough garlic to flavor without burning the tongue.

Our chicken breast was marinated and baked in the same fab garlic mojo that seasoned the pulled pork. The bone-in poultry was served on buttery yellow rice with black beans, sweet plantains and a green salad topped with sliced plum tomatoes on the side. The thick house-made avocado salad dressing was a nice foil for the fresh greens.

While the Orlando location is all shiny and new, I still have a fondness for its scruffy sibling in Winter Park. The kitchens at both serve up some of the finest Cuban food this side of Ybor City.

By the way: Black Bean Deli isn't just our little treasure. The eatery has been recognized by Saveur magazine, a top food magazine, and the New York Times as a must-try while in Orlando.